“Some are working on family-planning initiatives and then some are looking at centering pregnancy. That’s a peer-based initiative where moms of the same area are brought together while they’re going through their pregnancy," says DiOrio. "And that’s been shown to really work because these moms can support each other during their pregnancies,” DiOrio says. 

DiOrio says the department doesn’t know the exact reasons for the disparity, they are working to address it.